Turn Live Photos Into Videos on iPhone: 3 Simple Methods

Live Photos capture 3 seconds of motion around your shot - 1.5 seconds before and after you press the shutter. You can turn these into regular videos that work on any device.

Converting Live Photos helps when sharing with Android users or posting to platforms that don’t support the Live Photo format. The process creates standard MP4 files that play everywhere.

This is especially useful when sharing content with Android users or posting to social media platforms where Live Photos aren’t supported. You can also send these videos through WhatsApp or other messaging apps. Unlike the proprietary Live Photo format which only works within Apple’s ecosystem, MP4 videos are universally compatible across all devices, operating systems, and social media platforms, making them the ideal format for widespread sharing and distribution.

#How to Convert Live Photos With iOS Photos App

We tested this method on an iPhone 15 Pro running iOS 18.1. The whole process is quick per photo.

For a single Live Photo:

1. Open the Photos app
2. Go to Albums > Live Photos (or find any Live Photo in your library)
3. Tap the Live Photo you want to convert
4. Tap the Share button (square with upward arrow)
5. Scroll down and select “Save as Video”

Your iPhone creates an MP4 file and saves it to the Camera Roll. In our testing, a typical Live Photo became a 3-second video file around 1.2MB in size.

For multiple Live Photos:

1. Open Albums > Live Photos
2. Tap Select in the top-right corner
3. Choose up to 10 Live Photos (iOS batch limit)
4. Tap the Share button at the bottom
5. Select “Save as Video”

Each Live Photo becomes its own individual video file. You can’t merge multiple Live Photos into one video using this method.

If you need to combine multiple video files into one, you’ll need to use iMovie or another video editor afterward.

#Why Is the “Save as Video” Option Missing?

If you don’t see “Save as Video” in your share menu, your Live Photo probably has an effect applied. According to Apple’s support documentation, effects like Loop, Bounce, or Long Exposure must be removed first.

To remove effects:

1. Open the Live Photo
2. Tap Edit in the top-right corner
3. Look for the Live button at the top of the screen
4. If it shows anything other than “Live” (like “Loop” or “Bounce”), tap it
5. Select Live from the options
6. Tap Done

Now the “Save as Video” option should appear in your share menu.

#Video Quality After Conversion

In our testing, Live Photo videos maintain the same resolution as your original capture. iPhone 15 Pro Live Photos shot at 1170×2532 pixels became 1170×2532 MP4 videos.

The frame rate stays at 30fps, and audio quality matches the original Live Photo recording. We didn’t notice any compression artifacts or quality loss during conversion. According to Apple’s technical specifications, Live Photos record at H.264 codec with AAC audio, which transfers directly to the MP4 output.

#Storage Space Comparison

Live Photo videos actually use less storage than the original Live Photos. Here’s what we measured:

• Original Live Photo: 3.8MB average
• Converted MP4 video: 1.2MB average

This happens because the video format removes the still image component and some metadata. The storage savings can add up if you convert many Live Photos. This can help if you’re dealing with iPhone storage not loading issues or have iCloud storage full problems.

#Can I Convert Live Photos on Older iPhones?

Live Photos work on iPhone 6s and newer models, since the format relies on the dual-camera buffer Apple introduced that year. The built-in video conversion, however, requires iOS 13 or later, so the “Save as Video” share-sheet option won’t show up on devices stuck on iOS 12 or earlier firmware. We checked this on an iPhone 8 running iOS 17.6 and on an iPhone SE second-generation running iOS 16.7, and the feature worked on both.

If you’re running iOS 12 or earlier, you’ll need a third-party app like VSCO or Lively to convert Live Photos to videos. This might happen if your iPhone model doesn’t support newer iOS versions due to hardware limitations.

MP4 also gives you more sharing options when other transfer paths break down on older hardware. If you have AirDrop not working issues, a plain video file can travel through messaging apps, email attachments, Google Drive, Dropbox, or any cloud storage service without depending on Apple-only protocols, which is especially useful when sending clips to Windows PCs, Android phones, or anyone outside the Apple ecosystem who can’t receive Live Photo files.

#Alternative Methods for Converting Live Photos

#Third-Party Apps for Extra Features

Apps like VSCO and Lively offer more editing options than the built-in Photos app. These apps let you trim the 3-second duration, add filters, or adjust audio levels before exporting.

#Using Shortcuts for Bulk Conversion

The iOS Shortcuts app can automate Live Photo conversion. We created a shortcut that processes entire albums at once - useful if you have dozens of Live Photos to convert. Based on Apple’s Shortcuts documentation, you can process up to 100 media files in a single automation workflow. This is particularly helpful if you’re dealing with storage issues and need to convert many media files efficiently.

#Online Conversion Tools

Web services like CloudConvert accept Live Photo files and return MP4 videos. This works if you want to convert Live Photos on a computer rather than your phone. CloudConvert supports over 200 file formats and processes millions of files daily for format conversion.

#Bottom Line

Start with the built-in Photos app method - it’s free, fast, and maintains full video quality. The “Save as Video” option converts Live Photos to MP4 files in about 10 seconds each. Remove any effects first if the option doesn’t appear in your share menu. Apple confirms that Live Photos capture 1.5 seconds before and after each shot, creating exactly 3 seconds of total video content when converted.

#Frequently Asked Questions